can't get channel with 90+ signal strength & quality, and antenna choice

[dochwk]

I'm now scratching my head; these signal strengths just don't make sense.

Most of the transmitters in Las Vegas are on the same hill in Henderson, about six miles south (and a smidge west) of me). Two are about ten miles west and 2.5 miles south.

I've spent the day trying to find a spot on my property that can get all the stations. When I was about half the distance (but 3 miles further west), I got all but one (one of the "far" west ones, possibly blocked by neighbor's 30 ft oleanders).

Now I get that one, but I'm having trouble finding a spot that gets them all. My own house, and my neighbor's seem to block different channels by location. 3 & 5, for example, are far enough apart that turning the antenna slightly brings one in clean and loses the other.

I'm using small RCA antennae. I have one about the size of a sheet of binder paper that is hard plastic, and another thing flexible one about twice the size.

What is vexing me is not the aim, though, but that one won't come in that seams like it should.

I can aim so that both signal strength & quality are over 90% (per signal gh), yet it doesn't come in. But off the same antenna through a signal splitter, a medium quality television gets the station (but we lose about 15% on both).

here's a screen cap (but not up to 90). hmm, no it isn't, as it doesn't seem possible to upload, and it isn't on a server.

the image shoes 77 strength, 87 quality, and a full circle for streaming. I've had both past 90 with the same result.

I briefly had it working from a corner window (without losing other channels), and could get it off the pool house (but dangling over the patio fence, but it would blow in the wind).

I should mention that I'm using mesh routers because the silly thing won't work over wifi; I plug in a router at each location I try (wyze had a could sale on them last Black Friday!)

But why would one station not come in at all, while others with weaker signals come in fine?

And should I consider a different kind of antenna? the two clusters of transmitters I have to get are about 100-120 degrees separated from my location.

[dochwk]

And now I'm seeing signal strength of 90 with 0 quality on a couple of channels?

[jxxaxxy]

You probably need to send data to SD from your tuner to see if they can figure out what the issue is. Maybe to high of a signal coming in or maybe interference of some sort. Cell phone towers can cause signal issues if your really close. Just some thoughts.

[Saigova]

You probably need to send data to SD from your tuner to see if they can figure out what the issue is. Maybe to high of a signal coming in or maybe interference of some sort. Cell phone towers can cause signal issues if your really close. Just some thoughts.

Yeah, try double-foil faced with posters in a poster mount to block a wayward cell tower reflection, and/or a different antenna design. (There's 3D chiral broadcast antennas, so natch there s.b. matchy Rx ones. Off to the steelwork hobbyist sculptors who are also NAB/NAMM members?) You are almost close enough to have power takeoff from the antenna, metals inclusion in earth (which also takes off power, but can't be getting much work out,) permitting. Hosting SRL lightning robot fights is affecting your RFI.

Hey, what app shows signal strength and quality?

[jxxaxxy]

You probably need to send data to SD from your tuner to see if they can figure out what the issue is. Maybe to high of a signal coming in or maybe interference of some sort. Cell phone towers can cause signal issues if your really close. Just some thoughts.

Yeah, try double-foil faced with posters in a poster mount to block a wayward cell tower reflection, and/or a different antenna design. (There's 3D chiral broadcast antennas, so natch there s.b. matchy Rx ones. Off to the steelwork hobbyist sculptors who are also NAB/NAMM members?) You are almost close enough to have power takeoff from the antenna, metals inclusion in earth (which also takes off power, but can't be getting much work out,) permitting. Hosting SRL lightning robot fights is affecting your RFI.

Hey, what app shows signal strength and quality?

Don't forget lightning bolts too.

[jasonl]

First thing to note is that 5, 8, 10, and 13 broadcast on VHF, and these are going to be annoying on panel antennas because panel antennas are too small for optimal reception of VHF. They do sort of come in because of how the antenna, coax cable, and any nearby metal interact, but even tiny movements can swing it from decent signal to nothing. Don't use panel antennas in markets with VHF stations.

Second thing to note is that if your house is has stucco walls like so many in the desert southwest do, any indoor antenna will be a fight because the chicken wire inside of it effectively blocks most broadcast signals. You might be OK with an attic antenna if the orientation of the house allows the signal to pass through the roof instead of stucco on the side and as long as there isn't a radiant barrier on the underside of the roof, which would again block the signals.

I would suggest starting with something that will do a better job on VHF like a ClearStream 1MAX (https://store.antennasdirect.com/ClearS ... tenna.html) and can be used indoors, in the attic, or outdoors.

[dochwk]

Hosting SRL lightning robot fights is affecting your RFI.

oh, now you tell me!


Do I have to turn off my particle accelerator and rail gun, too?

Hey, what app shows signal strength and quality?

Signal GH

First thing to note is that 5, 8, 10, and 13 broadcast on VHF, and these are going to be annoying on panel antennas because panel antennas are too small for optimal reception of VHF. They do sort of come in because of how the antenna, coax cable, and any nearby metal interact, but even tiny movements can swing it from decent signal to nothing. Don't use panel antennas in markets with VHF stations.

Second thing to note is that if your house is has stucco walls like so many in the desert southwest do, any indoor antenna will be a fight because the chicken wire inside of it effectively blocks most broadcast signals. You might be OK with an attic antenna if the orientation of the house allows the signal to pass through the roof instead of stucco on the side and as long as there isn't a radiant barrier on the underside of the roof, which would again block the signals.

I would suggest starting with something that will do a better job on VHF like a ClearStream 1MAX (https://store.antennasdirect.com/ClearS ... tenna.html) and can be used indoors, in the attic, or outdoors.

First thing to note is that 5, 8, 10, and 13 broadcast on VHF, and these are going to be annoying on panel antennas because panel antennas are too small for optimal reception of VHF.

I assume those are the band numbers, and not the self identified channel numbers?

per signal gh, 8 provides 10 (PBS) which comes in flawlessly, 13 provides 13 & 33 (which come in fine), with 5 & 10 apparently not used.

My bête noire of the moment is 9, attempting to watch 5.1 & 5.6.

Second thing to note is that if your house is has stucco walls like so many in the desert southwest do, any indoor antenna will be a fight because the chicken wire inside of it effectively blocks most broadcast signals.

Ack! I'm living in a Faraday cage! On the bright side, I guess this means I don't need a tinfoil hat indoors to keep you-know-who from reading my brain . . .

More seriously, I'd suspected that the first place I had it was fully in the shadow of both oven and refrigerator and the cluster of transmitters. It never occurred to me what stucco is (even though I knew!).

You might be OK with an attic antenna if the orientation of the house allows the signal to pass through the roof

spanish tile over wood for the roof. I tried the attic, actually, and the same channel (or choice) was problematic.

I would suggest starting with something that will do a better job on VHF like a ClearStream 1MAX (https://store.antennasdirect.com/ClearS ... tenna.html) and can be used indoors, in the attic, or outdoors.

Thanks; I'll look at that type.